It's in the cards

"Four-suited decks with court cards evolved in the Moslem world and were imported by Europeans before 1370," according to The United States Playing Card Company. "In those days, cards were hand-painted, and only the very wealthy could afford them, but with the invention of woodcuts in the 14th century, Europeans began mass-production. It is from French designs that the cards we use today are derived."

"I am the Queen of Clubs!" declares Cotillion Queen Beth of My Vast Right Conspiracy, an early favorite in Aaron's "Deck 'O Bloggers 2005" competition. Click on over to Aaron's to vote for Beth -- we did -- in the first, clubs phase of the contest, and nominate yourself or your favorite blog[s] to participate:

All you Higher Beings, Mortal Humans, Playful Primates and Large Mammals are eligible to be immortalized in your own Blogopoly-style playing card in a commemorative end-of-year blogger alter-ego meme. I’m taking nominations via trackbacks to this post. I’ll be seeding the nominations with some of the obvious candidates.

If you can get a Higher Being, Mortal Human or Playful Primate to nominate you, 10 votes will be added to your vote total. Link-whoring? Yeah, a bit. But how much are a piece of custom photoshopping unique to your blog, a good laugh and bragging rights worth?

Yes, you can self-nominate via a single trackback, but give a good (based on merit or humor is best) reason why you should be in the running. Something that may give me a visual idea to riff on is best.

Fascinating that the template of the modern world's ubiquitous, four-suited decks with court cards -- emblem of the infidel's own Sin City -- came to us via France from the Muslim world (see caption above). Look what they started.

"And when we looked the salt had turned to gold" was the title of a post last winter that featured this image captioned "As the bulk carrier 'Ince Atlantic' out of Istanbul unloads its cargo at Eastern Minerals across the street, the sun's early rays alchemize salt to pure gold." A classic example of our signature "beauty in unexpected places."

Oh, by the way, Aaron, we hereby nominate our own Large Mammalian blog, sisu in the hearts suit poll. Try "beauty in unexpected places" (photo above, for example) for a visual idea to riff on.  Then mix and stir with Bill Quick's words, freely offered and just added to our kudos at right this morning:

Sissy Willis's blog is much more than a repository of luscious foody goodness. It is also stuffed full of even more luscious Sissy goodness on politics, current events, personal experience, and just plain common sense.

Of course Bill is a fantasy writer.

Comments

[Laura Lee Donoho]

You've got my vote Sisu!

[Sissy Willis]

Thank you, sweetheart. :)

[Beth]

Mine too, most definitely! :-D

And thank you!

[Sissy Willis]

Thank you, darling girls. :)